A political and administrative dispute broke out in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills after the Telangana Waqf Board allotted around 2,500 square yards of land near Idgah and Chowkandi mosques in Shaikpet for use as a Muslim graveyard. The Board said the move was meant to ease the severe shortage of burial land affecting residents in nearby localities such as Borabanda, Yousufguda, Erragadda, Rahmathnagar, Shaikpet, and Jubilee Hills.
However, the decision was quickly challenged by Defence authorities, who claimed that the allotted land falls under their jurisdiction. They halted all ongoing work pending verification of ownership. A senior military official asserted that the land, including the adjoining road, belongs to the Defence establishment. “The land here, including the road, is ours. Earlier, we allowed some use of the road, but there will be no further expansion now,” the official said.
Waqf Board Chairman Azmatullah Hussaini countered the claim, clarifying that the site is officially recognised as Waqf property. The 2,500 square yards issued for the graveyard is gazetted Waqf land. The military’s land lies adjacent to it. It’s natural for them to be cautious about nearby activity, but this portion legally belongs to the Waqf Board,” he stated. He added that the Board owns about one acre and five guntas in the area, but only the gazetted part was allotted for the burial ground.
The issue quickly took on a political dimension. Telangana BJP President Ramchander Rao accused the ruling Congress of indulging in appeasement politics through the land allotment. Meanwhile, BRS Working President KT Rama Rao reminded that during the BRS government’s tenure in 2022, 125 acres each were already allotted for Muslim and Christian cemeteries. He called the Congress decision a “politically motivated move” timed ahead of the upcoming Jubilee Hills bypoll.
With both the Defence authorities and political parties involved, the matter has now become a flashpoint between governance, religious administration, and political rivalry in Telangana.
